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Rolen, Parrish lead Jays in win

Rolen, Parrish lead Jays in win

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By Chris Girandola
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Special to MLB.com |

BLUE JAYS 4, TIGERS 3at Dunedin, Fla.Saturday, March 8

Blue Jays at the plate: Scott Rolen hit his first home run in a Blue Jays uniform, a solo shot in the second inning. Shannon Stewart went 2-for-3 with two doubles. Aaron Hill went 1-for-2 with a triple that scored two runs in the second inning. Matt Stairs went 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Tigers at the plate: Non-roster invitee Mike Hessman hit a solo homer in three at-bats. Placido Polanco went 1-for-2 with a solo home run. Catcher Max St. Pierre also scored a run.

Blue Jays on the mound: Shaun Marcum allowed two runs, one earned, on one hit and two walks with two strikeouts over three innings. The right-hander, making his second start of the spring, tossed 45 pitches, 28 of which went for strikes. Marcum surrendered a solo homer to Hessman in the second inning and was victimized by an error in the third inning, which allowed the second run to score. John Parrish pitched three innings and, besides a solo homer to Polanco, was masterful. Of the 10 batters he faced, the southpaw struck out seven and recorded two flyouts.

Tigers on the mound: Jeremy Bonderman pitched four innings and surrendered three runs, all earned, on five hits and one walk with two strikeouts. The righty tossed 48 pitches, including 31 strikes. Right-hander Denny Bautista threw one scoreless inning without allowing a hit while recording two strikeouts.

Grapefruit League records: Blue Jays 3-6; Tigers 2-7.

Up next: The Blue Jays travel to Clearwater, Fla., to face the Phillies at Bright House Field on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. ET for the second spring meeting between the two teams. Right-hander Jesse Litsch will make the start for Toronto, while Philadelphia will counter with righty Kyle Kendrick.

The Tigers travel to Bradenton, Fla., to face the Pirates on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. ET. Right-hander Nate Robertson makes his third start of Spring Training against Pittsburgh lefty Phil Dumatrait.

Chris Girandola is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.